Disclaimer: Power Rangers is property of Saban. I only own the stuff that was never lucky enough to share the screen with them.
A/N: Can you guys believe this show is turning 20 at Comic-Con? TWENTY YEARS OLD. As a 90's kid, I officially feel old for the first time. Anyway, I was really hoping to have this chapter out on the day the story takes place but the Internet and the universe conspired against me. Oh well. On a more exciting note, this chapter begins the entrances of other Rangers besides what I've dubbed "The Big 3." Hooray!
On a totally unrelated note, I've been watching the old episodes again (Netflix is the greatest thing ever.) and I've noticed a couple things that escaped me as a kid. First of all, this show was WAY more pop-culture literate than I'd ever realized. Just through the end of Zeo, I've found references to Pulp Fiction, the A-Team, the Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Star Trek, Bill Clinton, a novel called The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, Patrick Swayze and Gene Kelly, just to name a few. This show was much more clever than we ever gave it credit for.
Second, I'm taking a stand: every character on this show is more fun to watch when they're evil. Cases in point: The entire original team in "A Bad Reflection on You," (How creepy was it seeing someone besides Tommy evil for the first time?) Tommy in the Green With Evil episodes (duh), Kat in "The Changing of the Zords," Billy in "Blue Ranger Gone Bad," and let's not forget that in the Turbo movie, Jason and Kim are evil for all of about six minutes and it makes the entire movie. Now granted, it's always a foregone conclusion that nobody stays evil permanently, but can you imagine a Turbo season where the main villain was...Evil Jason? I'll just let that sink in for a second.
OK, enough rambling. Back to the action!
In Transit
Angel Grove, CA
July 10, 2012
7:30 AM
"I think we're in trouble. He's breaking out the leader voice."
As Jason's fingers closed around the door handle of his truck, he heard Tommy and Kim inside, engaged in a hushed but heated argument. As the ranking authority on the case, Jason had been selected by the others to handle the task of bringing the necessary AGPD personnel up to speed while Tommy oversaw the transfer of the corpse to the morgue and Kim checked back in with Foster. While the reasoning behind Tommy and Kim's insistence that Jason be the one who got the most complicated and time-consuming job made sense on a rational level, in the back of his mind the former Red Ranger couldn't help the sneaking suspicion that the two of them shared an ulterior motive.
Now, as he stood silently outside his truck, he began to pick up on what the two of them were saying; pressing his ear against the door, he rolled his eyes when he realized they were arguing about him.
"There's absolutely no way we can disappear from work for six hours today just so Jason can gather everybody together and tell them something that won't have changed by tomorrow," Tommy whispered insistently. From the sound of his voice, Jason placed him in the backseat.
"Jason's been working this thing for seven months now, Tommy," Kim replied from the front passenger seat. Her tone was annoyed, as though this was a point she was tired of making. "He – and by extension, we – can afford to take half a day off. Also, and I can't stress this enough, he tried to fucking kill me half an hour ago. Way I see it we're pretty much obligated at this point."
"Kim, as much as I hate to remind you, we're not Rangers anymore," Tommy said, speaking to her like he was desperate to make a point. "We can't keep running out on our responsibilities with no explanation for the rest of our lives. Our jobs are too important to other people's safety to just ignore them at the drop of a hat. You and Jason need to find some professional help and stop trying to make this out to be something worse than it is."
"You know, I would've thought you of all people would recognize the residual effects of evil brainwashing when you saw them," Kim countered. "It's not like I can just search WebMD for 'glowing red eyes' and 'random spurts of homicidal behavior.'"
"I'm not a doctor, Kim," Tommy said as Jason slowly straightened and prepared to cut in. "But think about it. We know his eyes have glowed red every now and then since Muranthias and we know what Zordon's death did to him. Dipshit that I am, I brought that whole thing up again, and he's probably really stressed from the case and he just…I don't know, he lost it."
Jason let out a bitter chuckle and rolled his eyes again.
Damn I hate being right all the time.
He stepped forward and threw the door open. Tommy and Kim whipped around at the sound, gaping at him openmouthed like he'd just walked in on them robbing a liquor store. Jason just glared at them for a moment, not saying a word, as the two of them searched frantically for the right thing to say. Finally Tommy cracked a timid half-smile and said, "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop?"
"Did yours ever teach you to trust your best friend?"
Tommy opened his mouth to respond but Jason never gave him the chance. "I heard what you said to Kim, Tommy. I would've thought with your head that far up your ass you would've smelled your own bullshit by now."
"Jason, you've got this all wrong," Tommy said, leaning forward and putting one hand on the back of the seat. "I never accused you of lying or anything like that; I was just telling Kim that I think you two are scared by this and so you're blowing things out of proportion. Not like I can blame you either – I was there and I was scared shitless – but in case you haven't noticed, we have more important things to flake out on now than parties or martial arts classes. I just really don't think we can put our lives on hold for this."
"What part of the fact that Jason, my husband, your best friend, just tried to kill me hasn't gotten through your head yet?" Kim demanded, throwing Tommy a glare and gesturing emphatically at Jason. "We have no idea when he might have another episode like that, and the only people who know enough about this to help him are the rest of the former Rangers. Now look," she continued, gesturing at her purse, which held her phone. "I can call in and tell your boss and ours that we need to go back to our place so Jason can collect his files on the case. The others all live close by; if we tell them it's an emergency they should get here in plenty of time to get this all taken care of in a few hours. Is that all right with you or does Jason have to go all Jekyll and Hyde on us again?"
Tommy looked down, and for the first time Jason saw the fear in his eyes. He reached out and put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. When Tommy looked up, Jason looked him straight in the eye and spoke softly, in a tone he hadn't used since they'd been Rangers together. "Who are you trying to convince that this is no big deal, bro? Us? Or yourself?"
Tommy sighed, an involuntary shudder running through his body. When he spoke, it was like each word was a monumental effort. "I didn't want to believe it, Jase, but…god, hearing your voice like that again, the look on your face…" Tommy glanced away from Jason, looking as though he was trying to hold back tears. "I was back there again, man. Back on Muranthias, watching you and Kim attack our friends, and…it felt real again." Tommy leaned back against the seat and ran a hand through his hair.
Jason climbed into the seat, pulled the door shut, and started the car before turning to look at Tommy again. "Welcome to the last six years of my life, bro."
They sat in silence for a moment, Jason letting the truck idle. Finally Tommy ran a hand over his face and said as forcefully as he could, "We get chewed out for this it's gonna be both your asses."
Jason looked at Kim with an amused gleam in his eye. "I think we're in trouble. He's breaking out the leader voice."
"You forget, Tommy," Kim said, turning to him and grinning. "You're talking to the only two people in the world who are entirely unfazed by your fearless leader routine."
Jason smiled and put the truck in reverse. "Right," he said as he backed out of the parking space. He cleared his throat and spoke with all the (considerable) authority he could muster. "Now cut the bullshit, Oliver. We've got work to do."
Tommy raised an eyebrow. Even after all these years, when Jason spoke like that he still felt this instinctive urge to leap into action. "God damn but you're good at that."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, o living legend," Jason replied with a wink. He turned and nodded to Kim. "I think you have a phone call to make." As Kim went to retrieve her phone, Jason turned back to Tommy. "You still have everyone's numbers, right?"
Tommy stared at them for a moment before slowly pulling his phone out of his pocket and staring at it as though it had just started dancing. "What the hell am I supposed to say? An hour ago we had all moved on with our lives and now I'm about to drag everybody back in."
"I'd suggest calling Kat first," Kim piped up, pausing her dialing to turn and glance at Tommy, any sign of contempt from before replaced by sympathy. "Consider her your practice run. Besides, maybe if you're real nice she'll call some of the others for you and save you some trouble."
"Why do we have to get everyone at once, anyway, Jase?" Tommy asked, tapping his phone screen nervously. "Can't we just let them all know over the phone?"
Jason laughed softly – there wasn't a trace of humor in it. "Believe me, Tommy, I didn't want to pull them into this either, but Kim's right. After I…" he gestured vaguely out the windshield at the park. "After what I just did, I realized how big an idiot I've been. Whatever's happening to me, it's clearly dangerous, and not just to me. I'm gonna need all the help I can get." Jason paused and glanced in the rearview mirror to see Tommy still staring back at him, a question in his eyes. Jason sighed and added, "Also, I'm about to unload some epically fucked up shit on you guys. I would really rather not repeat myself."
Oliver Residence
Angel Grove, CA
July 10, 2012
7:45 AM
The gentle tones of "Fur Elise" ringing out through the dimly lit bedroom brought Katherine Hillard, soon to be Mrs. Kat Oliver, out of a heavy sleep. Blinking in protest at the room around her, Kat allowed herself to come to her senses for a moment; as she did so, her surroundings began to slowly drift back into focus. She lay sprawled down the middle of the queen-size bed she usually shared with Tommy, her face pressed into the divide between the pillows. Her left arm lay flat against her side; her right was stretched out across the pillow in front of her so that her fingers dangled over the side of the bed, brushing against the cool, smooth wood of the nightstand on which her phone sat, its screen shining excitedly.
Kat let out a frustrated moan and shoved her face deeper into the pillow, silently begging the phone to just shut up and leave her alone. She would be given no such mercy: the music ceased abruptly, allowing her only a moment or two of blissful silence before resuming the summons.
"Bloody hell," Kat sighed into her pillow, pushing herself up onto her elbows and popping her eyes back open. "Someone better be bloody dying, or so help me god," she muttered to herself as she threw the sheet off and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Plucking the phone from the nightstand, she frowned at the sight of her fiancé's name. "OK, that goes double for you." Tommy knew she didn't have to be at the dance studio until nine, and she was a girl who liked her sleep; if it was denied her without damn good reason, she was not someone you wanted to be around.
Suddenly, as she stared at the phone, Kat felt a small feeling of concern begin to creep over her. Tommy was out on patrol this morning. He'd left at 2 AM for the graveyard shift. There was no reason she could think of for him calling her right now that she liked. Bracing herself, Kat hit the button to answer and brought the phone to her ear, nervously tapping one foot on the hardwood floor of the bedroom.
"Persistent, aren't you?" Kat said in lieu of hello, gripping the edge of the mattress with her right hand as she tried to keep her voice as even as she could. "You couldn't've just left a message?"
"No, babe. Sorry. Not about this."
Any relief Kat felt at hearing Tommy's voice on the other end and not another officer informing her of his gruesome fate was quickly replaced by a fresh wave of worry at his tone. He sounded…well, for lack of a better word, Kat thought he sounded terrified. She hadn't heard him talk that way since the two of them had spent the majority of their free time in rainbow spandex piloting giant robots.
"Tommy?" she asked after he went quiet. Still getting no response, she spoke again, her voice tinged with anxiety. "Love, what's wrong? What happened? Where are you?" The questions tumbled out of her mouth, her brain unable to filter itself as her level of worry steadily grew.
Tommy sighed into the phone and answered her last question first. "I'm in Jason's car with him and Kim right now. We're on the way back from the park. Kat…"
She cut him off. "Wait a minute, what? Why are you with Jason and Kim? I thought you were on patrol this morning."
"Long story. I'll explain everything later, I promise. Right now, though, I need to ask you a huge favor."
Kat swallowed and furrowed her brow, staring fixedly at the baseboard in the wall across the room as she held the phone to her ear, becoming more and more worried – and confused – at Tommy's overly cryptic non-answers. "Um…OK. What's that?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Kat thought she heard another voice, deeper than Tommy's and further off, telling someone, "Just tell her already. We don't have time for this." Is that Jason? Why is he in such a hurry? What the hell is Tommy not telling me? More importantly, why does he sound so freaked out?
Finally Tommy's voice broke back into her thoughts again. "Jason and Kim are calling for an emergency meeting at their place in," he paused. "Two hours. I know this sounds crazy, and you probably have a million questions-"
"You have no bloody idea," she cut in, standing and starting to pace, her footsteps echoing off the walls of the quiet room.
"But right now I just need you to trust me," he finished before she could say more. When she stayed silent, he continued. "You should probably call the studio and get someone to cover the morning for you and Zack. What Jase and Kim need to tell us may take a while. Then I would really appreciate it if you could call Billy, Trini and Tanya for me and let them know. I'm calling Rocky and Aisha as soon as I hang up with you, and the others after that. Can you do that for me, sweetheart? Please?"
Kat didn't reply for a moment. Is he completely insane? She thought, continuing to wander aimlessly around their bedroom, gnawing absently on a thumbnail. What was she supposed to say? "Oh, hey, sorry to wake you up, but there's this really important thing happening that I can't tell you anything about and you really just need to drop all your plans and meet at Kim and Jason's place, no questions asked. Sound good? Awesome." Yeah. That would go over well.
"Tommy," Kat began again, the frustration now evident behind her soft Australian accent. "This is really not a good position you're putting me in here. Tanya's only going to be in town for another couple of weeks before her tour kicks off and she's on the road for three months. Trini has been swamped with work for months with no reprieve – not to mention she just got home from Malawi last week – and has barely managed to get enough sleep to maintain her sanity. Do you really want me to be the one to intrude on that? I sure as hell don't."
"Kat." Tommy spoke so softly she almost didn't hear him. "Believe me when I tell you that I hate this just as much as you do. I even tried to talk Jase and Kim out of it, but you know how they can get; besides, apparently what they need to tell us has been a very long time coming. And trust me, this is extremely important. If you had seen what I just saw…" Tommy trailed off and took a minute before speaking again. "Anyway, I tried to give you the easier part of the call list – you aren't gonna be waking up three firefighters who could burn your house down whenever they wanted and make it look like an accident."
"They do and it's your ass," she warned, hoping she didn't sound as genuinely angry to him as she did to herself. His soft laugh told her she hadn't, and she allowed the faintest trace of a smile to creep onto her face as she held her bare left foot under a patch of sunlight not blocked by the curtains. The warmth felt good, served to alleviate a bit of the frightened chill that had descended on her during the conversation. Kat reached up and slowly pulled the curtain back, flooding the room with early morning sunlight. She sighed and spoke again, leaning against the windowsill and gazing out at the quiet street as she did so. "All right, fine. You just tell Jason that whatever this is had better be good or he's gonna have about a dozen pissed off former superheroes coming after him in full on torch-and-pitchfork mode."
Tommy laughed more heartily this time, and Kat grinned despite herself. "Will do," he said, his smile still audible. "Thank you so much for this, baby. Oh, and Kat?" He managed to catch her just as she was about to hang up.
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Tommy. Give Jason a smack upside the head for waking me up."
"You got it," he replied, laughing again. "See you in a few hours."
"Right." Kat ended the call and flopped back down on the edge of her bed. She desperately wanted a shower, and she still wasn't entirely awake, but if this was as important as Tommy said, she didn't have a whole lot of time for waiting. Groaning, she looked across the room, her eyes falling on a picture that hung prominently on the wall near the bedroom door. It was a group photo of all eleven former Rangers the first time they'd all been together. They sat outside the Youth Center on a picnic table; Kim, Kat, Trini and Aisha sat on the bench, beaming and waving at the camera. Behind them, Rocky, Jason, Tommy and Zack stood on top of the table, holding Tanya, who lay sprawled on their outstretched arms, posing like a lingerie model. Rocky and Zack had managed normal smiles; just before the camera had flashed, however, Jason and Tommy had dissolved into violent laughter at the success of their pose, their faces contorted with ecstasy. Adam and Billy leaned against either side of the table, Billy with a hand on Kim's shoulder, Adam with one on Aisha's.
Kat smiled wistfully at the photo before tapping the speed dial button for her dance studio and bringing the phone back to her ear. Before anyone could answer, she muttered to the picture under her breath. "God, those two are gonna owe me so big for this."
